About Time
by NodeOne
Summary: Pearl and Amethyst get into an argument again. (Cover image is from queerstalgems.)


The temple door opened in such a fashion that could only represent Pearl, and out came the pale gem.

"Good morning, Steven!" Pearl woke him with. It rolled off her tongue like a serenade. A groan sounded through Steven's room, notifying Pearl that the beast had awakened.

"Fooooood..." it groaned again. The mothering gem was in a good mood this morning, and got right to cooking for her 'baby'. She set her goal, to make him a mouth-watering meal. Even though Pearl despised food, the art of cooking lit a passionate fire in her. A bird of many talents, as she said herself. A gem, of many talents. With her delicate body, Pearl swayed across the room and towards the kitchen. Steven had already started his video game whilst the gem prepared his breakfast.

Despite last night's events, Pearl continued with smiling and cooking. However, she was distressed by Steven's experiences. The little guy seemed alright, smiling at his game and focusing on it. Until he noticed Pearl observing him and smiling warmly at her. While he continued, the food was close to being finished, by the cook's hand.

Again, the door to enter the temple opened. In a less elegant manner this time. This one was more careless, and Garnet wasn't so. It could only be one other gem. Amethyst yawned as she stepped out of the door, waving at the lil' dude on his bed "Mornin', Steven."

"Morning, Amethyst!" he squealed, raising his hands in the air, as if he just didn't care. Maybe he should've, though. The controller he held in his hands dropped onto his head with little force, "Ow.."

"Pfft" the purple gem let out, turning towards the kitchen. What she was unaware of, was the pale gem on the other side of the counter being there. Above her purple skin, two red and uneven circles formed. Her heart fluttered at the sight, quickly attempting to rid herself of the feeling. Pearl noticed her teammate as she was turning to pick a plate up from the counter, leaving her staring back at Amethyst. The same type of red appeared over her cheeks, feeling a strange sensation in her gut. There was an unnaturally long eye contact. The warm, quiet moment between them finished abruptly once they both turned their heads.

Pearl finished Steven's meal, serving it on counter. Amethyst smelled the enticing meal, staring at the scrumptious sandwich. Sneaking up towards the counter, with only a quick look at Pearl, the purple mom swooped the food off the platter and into her mouth. If it wasn't for Pearl's nagging about it, she would've eaten the platter too. For some reason, Amethyst had listened to her on that matter. It was also partly because Greg couldn't keep buying new ones all the time. After Pearl put back all the ingredients, the gem turned back around to bring Steven his meal. It was nowhere to be found, however. Except...

"Amethyst!" she squawked, immediately turning her head towards the other Crystal Gem. What she felt before was not present, and rage filled her veins, even if she tried to be calm. Amethyst teased the pale gem by looking as innocent as possible, winking at her as well.

"It's okay, Pearl!" Steven said through his shirt as he dressed himself, "I'll grab something from the Big Donut." With the usual smile on his lips, he waved them both goodbye. He made his way out the door and down the stairs, heading towards 'the city'.

Her hand reached out after him, only slightly, and Pearl dared to look over at Amethyst. The two of them being the ones left in the wooden shack, Amethyst peeked over at Pearl as well. They both knew how awkward it would be. She couldn't let the beautiful gem- elegant gem, she meant, know what Amethyst had seen. Perhaps Pearl was busy being too embarrassed as well to notice anything off about the other. Without thinking, the purple gem grabbed a chair by the kitchen counter, sitting down right across Pearl.

Gazing down at the counter, Amethyst continued her thoughts on Pearl's dream and feeling herself a bit troubled by the situation she found herself in. She hadn't slept either because of it. Even if she didn't need sleep, the purple puma was exhausted from pondering on it all night. Pearl put away the plate they used back in the cabinet, staring back at her ally anxiously. Her silver-colored hair hid her eyes, and the other gem was unable to see her eyes.

Pearl hesitated for a moment before saying anything, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Amethyst" and a concerned expression covered Pearl's face.

With a quick glance at her friend, a worried hand from Pearl reached towards her. Amethyst was surprised by her apology. She was flirting, but as always, Pearl was annoyed by it.

"Nah... I probably deserved it" the stressful gem replied. It went quiet after that, neither of them saying a word for a while.

The pale gem knew something was up. After their talk on the couch, while Steven, Garnet and Greg were at the motel, something happened between them. They became closer in a way, more understanding of each other, and she was sure Amethyst had noticed it too. Both of them missed the same thing. Garnet was right about her having to be her own gem, deciding herself what to do. However, she still felt that missing piece in her. Last night's dream woke her up, leaving her flustered and amazed of what the purple little gem had done in her mind.

Amethyst spoke up, tired of just sitting there in the awkward state, "P... Pearl. I saw your dream." Neither of them said anything for a moment, giving the fun mom some time to continue, "Me and Steven, I mean, Steven and I..." Her gaze was still lowered towards the counter.

"We were messing around and one of his action figures fell in the water, the ones leading back up to your room, you kno'?" To Pearl, it was absolutely necessary for her to explain the whole situation. Maybe Amethyst owed it to her too. At least she felt that way, "I went to get it and... I didn't mean to peek; I just saw what you were dreaming about."

It was time for her to confess to her teammate, the one who was always so much better than her, "I've always felt a certain way about you. A different way towards you than anyone else." She clenched her fists, being extremely nervous and unsure how to continue. The only noise in the room sounded from the watch on the wall, going tic-toc. Pearl was speechless, with a blank expression on her face. Not out of horror, but confusion. Where did this all come from? Had Amethyst expressed her fondness of her previously?

"It's always been there, just didn't act on it. A-Ah just didn't think..." It was possible to hear it in her voice. How it was shaking and how she was about to choke back the tears, "... I'm not good enough for you."

"A-Amethyst..." Pearl stuttered. The words stung in her heart, knowing how her companion felt. Amethyst's body ached, still resisting the tears.

The purple gem was breaking down, all of her emotions washing out on the table, right in front of her flame. It was enough to make her run away from her problems again, much like Pearl did. With Rose no longer around, so much had happened in such a short amount of time. At least for them. They all depended on her and leaving them all to take care of Steven was a hard task. Each of them coped in their own way, but now it became too much for Amethyst.

"I'm messed up, I know... I know I'm not what you want." Both of them knew what she meant, it was no secret it was their previous leader, "I-I can't compare to her."

Tears now streamed down her face, landing on her arms and rolling further. Pearl covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from gasping, but unable to stop the tears forming in the corner of her eye. She was hesitant as what to say or even do with herself. By herself, and without thinking why, Pearl made her away around the counter and approached the other slowly. Amethyst didn't react until she heard the step beside her, and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she loved Pearl's touch. The reckless gem couldn't do this, though. The hand dropped slightly when she moved off the chair and out of the way. Her attempts at hiding her tears had failed, but it didn't stop her from running off. At least not until...

"Amethyst, wait!" About to make her way towards the temple door, and to isolate herself, Pearl stopped her by grabbing her hand. Again, she could feel that touch, the one that made her feel so warm. The words made her stop and turn, slowly however, towards the pale gem. This time, she couldn't run. Pearl placed both hands around Amethyst's. Facing towards each other, Amethyst couldn't hide it anymore, now staring up at her love, tears still trailing down her cheeks. Her right hand took a hold of her other arm, pushing her fingers tightly against the skin.

"You're exactly what I want." Pearl guided her hands towards her cheeks, cupping them to wipe away the tears. Having to kneel down in front of Amethyst, made them both grin and titter, lightening the mood. The purple one's gaze fell for only a couple of seconds, before hugging her slowly, but tightly. Her cheeks filled with a color of red.

"Really?" Being so close to her dearest, let her smell Pearl's hair for a moment. The intoxicating feeling of love was only enhanced by the scent floating through her nose and into her head now.

A wide smile spread across her lips, "You are. You're important to me, Amethyst." Confessing her love, the other gem's cheeks were also flushed with red, "You're amazing." Her tone went higher to put emphasis to it.

At a loss for words, Amethyst wrapped herself around the petite body she was already holding on to. She hid her face from Pearl, being a little embarrassed by the emotional situation.

"I'm sorry... Amethyst. For the way I've treated you" Pearl admitted, knowing she had been at fault many times for their arguments.

"Don't worry about it, P" Amethyst reassured her, "Let's just chill for now~" A heavy and relieved sigh came from the purple one.

Pearl rose to her feet, making sure her little ball of fluff was secure before she moved over to the couch. She found a comfortable position for them both, stroking Amethyst's hair repeatedly, "Let's."

Each of their gems shimmered, with a fainter light than it would be if they were to fuse. The pale gem continued her soothing motion over Amethyst. For some time, they sat there, enjoying each other's company until Amethyst spoke.

"Pearl..." she began.

"Yes?" Pearl replied, looking down at her close friend with a soft blush on her cheeks.

"Is it okay... I mean..." Her mind was a mess, unable to even comprehend that the one she had felt such strong feelings for would return those exact ones, "I love you, P."

By now, she didn't care if either Garnet or Steven knew or heard, "I love you as well, Amethyst."

They held around each other, feeling the love connecting them further than they had been before. It was back to the way they felt when they were younger, with the addition of a romantic aspect to it. Their eyes met, staring into each other again. Feeling their lips suddenly locking in place with each other, Pearl and Amethyst immediately closed their eyes. Both of them moaned quietly into the kiss and their gems shined brightly. Right before they would've fused, their kiss broke with a gentle manner.

"That was close" Amethyst mumbled, opening her eyes again to admire the other. Their faces were burning with red. Impatient as she was, the purple gem leaned in, planting a deep and wet kiss on Pearl's. A yelp came out of the victim as she continued along her neck, over her cheek and up to her lips again. She sank into Pearl's lap again, slowly letting go of the kiss and snuggling close to her. A low purr rocked through her body, sharing it with Pearl who was still petting her sweetheart. Content with their current position, both closed their eyes, breathing slowly and heavily into a peaceful nap.


End file.
